


Thanks to the Giving

by Coulsonndaclub



Category: Revenge (TV)
Genre: AU, Gen, this kind of veers off from canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-14 00:50:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14124567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coulsonndaclub/pseuds/Coulsonndaclub
Summary: Thanksgiving just got awkward





	1. In the Beginning

Emily Thorne hadn't been back to the small town of Harrisville, Maine in months. She and her best friend Nolan Ross had taken to the big scene a few years ago. They both felt more alive in the Hamptons. It's where they felt they belonged. But once every year they were pulled back to their small hometown to celebrate what has become their least favorite holiday: Thanksgiving.  
The ritual had started when Louise Ellis came around.  
She was big on family. Not hers though (they were jerks,) the one that she adopted when she came to the Hamptons-that was Nolan, Emily, and Jack Porter.  
One day, around the week before Halloween, Louise called up Nolan's grandparents, Emily's father, and Jack's mother. She proposed the idea of a get together on Thanksgiving, and they being guardians, were, of course, all for it.  
Now every year in November, the four would travel back to the town where they grew up, and celebrate Thanksgiving at Nolan's grandparent's house.  
It sounds nice enough, but there are a couple of flaws. Such as: Nolan's grandfather dislikes Jack. Jack's mother is always wary of both Emily and Louise. And this year Jack was taking Margaux LeMarchal as a date. The Margaux LeMarchal which all of his friends disliked, but had their parents wrapped around her finger.  
Oh yes indeed! What could possibly go wrong?


	2. Early Morning

"Isn't this just exciting?!"  
"That's the third year in a row that you've said that about this." Emily tried to hide her eye-roll by turning away.  
Louise laughed. "Well I just can't help it! I love family holidays so much! Especially since I never had nice family gatherings when I was growing up. And Nolan's grandparents are just the sweetest thing! Nolan, have I told you I love your grandparents?"  
"Just about all the time."  
"Well, good. You should be proud to have grandparents who are just dolls."  
It was six a.m. Thanksgiving morning. Even though Nolan's grandparents were up in the kitchen, the trio upstairs were trying to keep their conversation at a reasonable volume.  
Jack and Margaux were in the backyard, supposedly picking flowers to use as the centerpiece during the meal.  
"So, I can't remember if I told y'all, but I gave granny and gramps the day off. We get to make the special Thanksgiving meal today!"  
Emily and Nolan let their mouths hang open.  
"Louise, I've never made such an important meal before. And remember that time I made cupcakes for Jack's birthday? I had to run to Walmart twenty minutes before the party. Thank god he didn't know the difference."  
"Don't worry Emily! Nolan can cook gourmet meals, and I have been dabbling in cooking myself the past few months. According to my book club, my pastries aren't too shabby."  
"Okay. What about Jack and Margaux?"  
Nolan smirked. "Well that's simple. While we cook, you use your sneaky super powers to subtly torment Margaux until she excuses herself from our annual awkward Thanksgiving."  
"Alright then. We have six hours until our guest get here. Lets get started."


	3. Taking Out the Trash

"Hey Jack. I think Louise was asking for your help." Emily stood at the back door, watching as Margaux's radiant smile slowly faded.  
"Oh. Okay." Jack nodded once, and headed inside.  
Once the door was firmly shut behind him, Emily started forward.  
"Margaux."  
"Emily."  
"I know you have everyone fooled, but you can drop the innocence facade around me."  
"Jack and I are dating. Don't you think you should accept your defeat before it eats you up inside?"  
"Look here. I'm not going to let you ruin today. Thanksgiving is stressful enough without you."  
"You really think you can get rid of me?"  
Emily gave Margaux a sad smile. "Honey, I know I can."

The tension was high in the kitchen. Mainly between Emily and Margaux who were not-so-secretly competing over whose flower arrangement was best to use as the centerpiece.  
Nolan was chopping up vegetables; Louise was working on the casserole; and Jack was starting on the pumpkin pie.  
"What do you guys think? Daffodils and carnations."  
"That's...cute, Margaux." Louise struggled to smile.  
"Well, I think larkspurs and white roses are much classier."  
Nolan grinned. "And once again my Ems takes the cake."  
Margaux cleared her throat.  
"Jack? What do you think?"  
The atmosphere turned ominous. And a deathly silence filled the room.  
"Well, the daffodils and carnations are nice..."  
Margaux gave Emily a triumphant look, and a small 'hmph' of approval.  
"But the larkspurs and roses are more aesthetically pleasing."  
"I think that settles it then." Nolan choked on a snort.  
"Jack. Are you seriously going to take Emily's side? You know she's trying to get rid of me?" Margaux swiveled towards her boyfriend, eyes filled with rage.  
"I-"  
"Me?! The only person who wants you here is yourself!" Emily hissed.  
"Oh please. You all know your parents love me too."  
Emily picked up the closest thing to her, and chucked it at Margaux; it was the casserole Louise was stirring. It hit Margaux square in the face.  
"How! Dare you!"   
In turn, Margaux grabbed a handful of Nolan's chopped vegetables and launched them across the kitchen.   
Long story short, an all out food war took place. Complete with insults about family members.   
Through it all, Jack was the only one who stayed calm, continuing to bake his pie. Of course, once it was done, he forgot to close the oven.  
"Okay. I've heard enough!" Jack yelled.  
The bickering adults turned towards the new addition to their argument.  
"You have all said some pretty nasty things about one another, and each other's families. That said, Margaux, I think you should leave."  
"Oh. I see. You are taking their side. Fine then Jack Porter. This will be the last you see of me!"  
She stomped to the front door, swung it open, and violently slammed it shut.  
The aftermath was quiet.  
Until a minute later when the fire alarm went off.


	4. We'll Always Have Family

"Oh my goodness! What happened here?" Nolan's grandmother rushed to her children's sides, patting them down in case of injury.  
"It's okay grandma. We just accidentally left the oven open. The house isn't damaged, but the fire department wants us to stay out for twenty-four hours to let the fumes disperse."  
"I guess this is what happens when we leave you four in charge. Wasn't Margaux coming also?" Jack's mother observed.  
"Yeah. She had to leave suddenly." Jack replied.  
"Well shoot. Now we can't have our Thanksgiving meal!" Louise huffed.  
Emily's dad stepped forward.  
"Actually, we all had a feeling something might happen, so we called in Thanksgiving dinner from Dennys. Not homemade, but at least it's still festive."  
Emily chuckled. "When you say 'something' you really mean me, right?"  
"Well, you aren't the best cook."  
"Yeah, alright."  
"Actually!" Jack piped up.  
"I did manage to bake and salvage our pumpkin pie. Along with some flowers."  
Emily turned to end up gazing upon a golden pie in one of Jack's hands, and a cluster of larkspurs and white roses in the other. She allowed the corner of her mouth to quirk up a bit.   
"Oh thank god! We have desert." Nolan exhaled a deep sigh of relief.  
"Lets get settled then shall we?" Louise was smiling from ear to ear.  
"We don't want our Thanksgiving meal to get cold!"  
The Rosses, Porters, Clarks, and one Ellis took their seats on the curb. They passed styrofoam containers from one person to the next until everyone had their own.  
Emily leaned towards Nolan. "I think this Thanksgiving actually turned out better than the others."   
He nodded. "Maybe burning down the house was all we had to do to have everyone get along in the first place."   
Emily laughed.   
The four families who were now altogether one ate in a comfortable silence for a while. A serene feeling had fallen over them all. And then Nolan's grandfather opened his mouth.  
"So Jack, did that Margaux girl leave because she finally realized you were a putz?"  
Nolan and Emily internally face palmed.   
Oh what they put up with when it came to family!


End file.
